Truck driver killed after logs crash through cab

Truck driver killed after logs crash through cab

FRANKLINTON, La (WGNO) – A truck driver was killed near Franklinton yesterday when the logs he was hauling crashed through the cab of his truck.

Louisiana State Police said 30-year-old Christopher Rex Blansett of Sumrall, Mississippi, was killed around 3 p.m. on February 20 when he “aggressively applied the brakes” in an attempt to avoid a car.

Blansett was trying to avoid hitting a 2004 Ford Explorer driven by Bogalusa resident April Bertoniere, who driving slowly with her vehicle partially on the shoulder of the highway, according to the LSP.

Bertoniere nearly crashed into Blansett’s truck when she abruptly turned left from the shoulder to enter a private driveway, at which time Blansett slammed on his brakes and his load of logs shifted forward and through the cab of his truck.

He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the LSP.

Both drivers were wearing their seatbelts, and alcohol is not considered to have been a factor in the accident.

“Safe decisions remain one of the most important factors in protecting yourself from being involved in a crash,” Trooper Dustin Dwight wrote in a Facebook post. “The decisions you make could not only affect you, but others as well. Speed, carelessness, impairment, and distractions are all the product of poor decisions behind the wheel. Please, speak to your loved ones about the importance of safe decisions. The conversation you have today could be all the difference tomorrow.”